to ferret or not to ferret

[runforyourlife 361]

Hiya, on a piece of land which i have gained permission to ferret(also run the dogs) are many many warrens, ranging from 20 holes up to in excess of 50+. Some are on the flats, the majority tho being in to the hill side or bankings. Problem is limestone is present, and i have looked in to many of the borrows to see stones and lumps of limestone. Obviouslyi would never try to ferret a warren of this size alone, i think only a mad man would do this. I do have enough ferrets to enter but i am worried if i have to dig, that i cant! due to the limestone, and i am struggling towork out just how deep these very big warrens(some stretching over 20yrds in length) will actually go.

I never normally worry about entering a ferret or ferrets to ground, as i am pretty confident of there return. Something is niggling in the back of my mind that these are deep and difficult to do. I am counting up to 25 plus rabbits entering the warrens but still my balls arent big enough!! What do you lot reckon, how many guys would you say i needed to come along to tackle one of these sets, and how much of a kicking woould my ferrets be getting, plus how deep are these warrens running, and will i be losing signal(by the way, the landscape is yorkshire). (plus i will be using purse nets, not long nets)

[Guest on the hill]

three people alltogether should do ya!! your ferrets mite get a bump on the head from those rocks but there tough little animals (very tough) and as for how deep they go....god only knows .if your worried about your ferrets sticking up then your best bet is to wait till you have a ferret that your not too scared of looseing before you try the burrows but this is not to say that i am suggesting walking away from your ferret without first making sure you have tried and waited for hours for the ferret to come out!! if you have trouble geting the ferret back cover up all the holes and come back the next day and the ferret should come straight out when u return!! mine did.

good luck it looks like nice ground by the way!! grats

[Guest dotty]

wait until winter when there are no more young. if you enter it now you will be likely to find young then you will have to dig or wait, and secondly the rabbits seem a bit reluctant to bolt at this time of year. the third piont is that often ferrets aren't very keen at this time of year, all that is on there mind is sex and it is also getting very hot so again the ferret may lay up in the cool hole.

and you definately don't want to be digging with that spade!!!!

[Guest on the hill]

wait until winter when there are no more young. if you enter it now you will be likely to find young then you will have to dig or wait, and secondly the rabbits seem a bit reluctant to bolt at this time of year. the third piont is that often ferrets aren't very keen at this time of year, all that is on there mind is sex and it is also getting very hot so again the ferret may lay up in the cool hole.

and you definately don't want to be digging with that spade!!!!

 

i totally agree mate!!! good advise!!

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

That's not a spade; It's a god damn shovel! It belongs next to a cement mixer, not a bury

[Guest on the hill]

That's not a spade; It's a god damn shovel! It belongs next to a cement mixer, not a bury

yeah deffo lmao your likely to chop your ferrets in half with that thing

[The one 8,456]

I'd wait till next winter pick a frosty morning start early and get stuck in ,if your worried about your ferret getting stuck take a catch alive trap with you and fill in all the hole apart from the one you put the trap in .Fenn mk6's would cure some of those rabbits just now though

[Guest on the hill]

I'd wait till next winter pick a frosty morning start early and get stuck in ,if your worried about your ferret getting stuck take a catch alive trap with you and fill in all the hole apart from the one you put the trap in .Fenn mk6's would cure some of those rabbits just now though

 

if you leave a trap out someones prob gonna see it....put it this way if i see a ferret in a live trap its MINE!!

[T78 4]

ive got the same "problem" just been given some A1 permission,crawling with rabbits,easy to get to the warrens,only thing is.....its part of a quarry thats now disused.theres a foot of topsoil and then its pretty much stone and shale!i know this because i installed a septic tank in it! im just going to leave it til well into the season to do so hopefully no lay ups!! have been told that theres a chance i could get permission all round the other(still used)parts of the quarry so dont want any mess ups!lol.(also in yorkshire)

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Couldn't you set snares on the runs mate .That way you have no worrys about losing your ferrets.

[Guest on the hill]

Couldn't you set snares on the runs mate .That way you have no worrys about losing your ferrets.

 

wow are you suggesting snareing the ferrets or am i seeing things??

[Guest timeout]

Think he meant leave the ferrets @home.Or i hope he duz lol

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Think he meant leave the ferrets @home.Or i hope he duz lol

 

yes i meant leave the ferrets at home and snare the rabbits on their runs

Edited May 7, 2008 by MR TEA POT

[runforyourlife 361]

looks lush mate no worry ferreting them just get some lads off hear to help you out mabey someone with a longnet and also by a new spade not that curved on as it looks a bit big for ferreting go for something straighter and tougher

Thks, but the shovel is 8" across, just looks big on the pic, i have many shovels, lol, and i have my own long nets, just isnt visable, as you can see, i am ferreting these holes, as these are much easier than the ones i am talking about, thks again.

[runforyourlife 361]

three people alltogether should do ya!! your ferrets mite get a bump on the head from those rocks but there tough little animals (very tough) and as for how deep they go....god only knows .if your worried about your ferrets sticking up then your best bet is to wait till you have a ferret that your not too scared of looseing before you try the burrows but this is not to say that i am suggesting walking away from your ferret without first making sure you have tried and waited for hours for the ferret to come out!! if you have trouble geting the ferret back cover up all the holes and come back the next day and the ferret should come straight out when u return!! mine did.

good luck it looks like nice ground by the way!! grats

Thks, but i think i may struggle blocking up 50 or 60 holes.